


we were just kids when we fell in love (not knowing what it was)

by wereswolf



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Riley and Lucas are truly In Love, Rucas Fic Week 2017, This is for a fic week so it's a series of one shots both canon and AU, some one shots won't be established
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-10-30 21:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10885500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wereswolf/pseuds/wereswolf
Summary: Each chapter is a one shot for Rucas Fic Week 2017 hosted by tumblr users: friarlucas & rileysmatthews (on AO3: authorisasauthordoes & thenewromantics)Eight days. Eight stories. Let's do this thing.(title from Ed Sheeran'sPerfect)





	1. how easy sleep comes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [authorisasauthordoes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/authorisasauthordoes/gifts), [thenewromantics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewromantics/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 1 // canon verse** ; something that takes place in the canon universe as we know it
> 
> This one is canon-compliant with 'girl meets she don't like me' and around that time.
> 
> It is quite angsty—and delves into Riley's character a lot.

The full moon is bright enough to light the balcony of Riley’s fire escape, as she lays awake at three in the morning.

If it wasn’t for her thoughts—the ones that always cloud her mind and keep her in reality—she’d be far from consciousness, and dreaming in vibrant colours.

But Riley Matthews has never been a great sleeper. She goes to bed early enough, but lies awake in the silence of her room almost every night.

She thinks of how haunting it is to lie awake. How nightmares are nothing compared to the inner workings of the human mind. Nightmares are just darkness stemming from creativity, dreams turned void, the mind playing a trick. When you wake from a nightmare, the worst is over.

However, you can’t wake up from reality.

And as Riley stares at the ceiling in the darkness of her room, she watches the shadows creep across the ceiling from the moon’s glow. There are faint city noises and the soft snoring from her father down the hall. But she’s captivated by the shadows on the walls. They creep and creep, as she thinks and thinks.

And thinking has always been Riley Matthews’ downfall.

The brunette has always been insecure, she wrote it on her forehead back in middle school. And she figures if our flaws were written on our foreheads until the day we overcame them—hers would always be there. It’s almost taunting the way her mind runs in the night as her body lays still.

_You’re worthless. You’re hopeless. You’re nothing._

Sometimes she can silence her mind. She does this through music, or ocean sounds; anything to quiet the noise beneath her skin.

But sometimes she can’t rid the fears her mind keeps. And it’s like a dam. Once one thought escapes—they all rush through.

_You’re worthless. You’re hopeless. You’re nothing._

Tonight was no different.

Riley’s thoughts are held captive by the words “I don’t like you”, spoken to her that day. And to anyone else this may have been no surprise—everyone is disliked by _someone_. But not Riley Matthews. No, Riley strives to be the best person she can be. She’d give friendship to anyone that asked for it, and she’d give love and hope to anyone around her. So it’s hard for her to fathom a world where someone dislikes her enough for it to be a spoken barrier between them.

The brunette sighs and tosses in her bed. She knows she won’t be getting much sleep tonight, so instead she takes out her journal. She writes and she writes until the sun peeks over the horizon of the city. And only then, with a half-written page left open, pen loosely in hand, and her mind a million miles away, does she fall asleep.

 

. . .

 

The pattern continues like this for weeks. Every day is one upset after another, one more thing to add to the journal, and one more thing to keep her up at night.

She considers telling someone, but Maya had taught her the basic workings of make-up not too long ago. And concealer and foundation have become Riley’s friends more-so than the company she keeps. The bags under her eyes a constant reminder in the morning of the fears they carry, and a constant reminder at night, as she washes the fake skin away, that she’s a coward hiding behind a mask.

But if there were any people in the world to notice Riley’s behaviour, it would be her friends. Because despite how hard she tries to keep secrets, the truth always comes out. And she knows it’s probably for the best.

The first to notice is Maya.

“I’m fine, Maya,” Riley tries.

“Oh, I’m sure you are, Riles.” Maya rolls her eyes as she sits next to her best friend at the bay window. She looks the brunette up and down, and squints her eyes as if trying to see clearer. “What are you hiding?”

Riley scoffs, “I told you Maya, _I’m fine_.”

“Except you aren’t,” Maya counters pretending to be interested in a finger nail.

“I said I am.”

“Words and actions are different things, Riley.”

“Maya!”

“Riley.”

The two girls stare at each other for a good minute before Maya speaks. “Riley if something is bothering you, you need to tell me.”

“Maya, if something was bothering me, you’d be the first to know.”

They sit in silence for a while as Riley’s words are digested. Maya should be the first to know. Except both of them know this is not always the case. Riley has gotten good at hiding her problems in fear of not being able to fight her demons herself.

Maya knows how Riley got away for weeks without anyone knowing she had a bully. And Riley figures she won’t get away from this one as easy.

Maya looks Riley up and down again. She takes Riley’s face in her hands and turns her head side to side.

“What are you doing-” Riley starts but is caught off by Maya shushing her.

Riley’s head is twisted left and right and to the left again before Maya speaks with confidence, dropping her hands back down, “You’re not sleeping.”

Riley looks down at her feet, “Yes I am.”

“No, you’re not. Look at me.”

Riley looks up and meets Maya’s bright eyes. They hold a fierce protection in them, and Riley crumbles.

“Okay, maybe I’m not.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But it’s not a big deal. How did you know?”

“The make-up. You don’t usually wear much make-up so many days in a row.”

Riley nods and looks out the window.

“Why?” Maya asks after a moment of hesitation.

“Why what?” Riley returns, turning her attention back to her best friend.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Riley shrugs again, “Just up thinking.”

Maya doesn’t want to push Riley into a territory she knows will only cause the brunette to retreat back into her shell. So instead, she sits with her in silence as they listen to the traffic on the streets outside. And Maya thinks there must be more to the story than Riley’s telling. She doesn’t want to let it go, but as the Matthews call the girls for dinner, Maya thinks she’ll have to talk with Riley about it later before it gets too far.

 

. . .

 

Maya doesn’t get the chance to bother Riley again, and the brunette is thankful.

Riley’s troubles are just that, _her_ troubles. And she never wants to bother anyone about them again. She busies herself with school, her friends, and tries not to be alone with anyone for too long—where she knows she’ll be hounded with questions.

The hardest people to stay away from are Maya and Lucas. As much as Riley loves both of them, and knows they just want to help, she’s scared of what might come from even a moment alone with either of the two.

Maya is fierce, and won’t give up until she’s come up with some master plan to fix Riley’s problems.

Lucas is not as fervent, but he is just as resilient as the fiery blonde, and will stop at nothing until Riley’s happiness is kept above all else.

So Riley should have expected the knock on the window to her room half-past midnight. And despite the times she considered locking the window—she could never do it.

Whoever had knocked, slipped inside, shutting the window behind them. The moon was almost non-existent in the sky, meaning no glow was cast in the room to give Riley any indication of who it was.

But her answer was in the soft whisper of her name from a voice she knew all too well.

“Lucas?” Riley replied. She forced herself to sound groggy, as if she was awoken by his sudden entrance. But Riley was not one to easily lie to Lucas. Sure she could be frank and try to detour conversation to topics that didn’t pertain to anything remotely close to her insecurities. But she had a hard time outright lying in any situation that involved the beautiful blond boy before her.

“Hey,” he whispers back.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Lucas chuckles softly, “So we’re back to that?”

“I guess so,” she replies softly, clasping her hands together in her lap and looking down at them. She rests her back against her headboard in a seated position. Leaning over, she flicks on the bedside lamp illuminating their faces in the darkness.

Lucas’ face visibly softens when he sees Riley sitting there. She has bags under eyes, all traces of make-up washed away—leaving behind only traces of her distress. And he thinks in this moment how fragile she looks, and how much he wants to hold her and protect her from the forthcomings of the world.

And he also thinks how strong she is.

It’s one thing to live with afflictions. But it’s another to take them on by yourself.

With the light of the lamp casting light and shadows on Lucas’ face, Riley can make out the softness in his stare, and the longing in his gaze. She realizes how she must look to him—beaten, broken, and above all, sad.

All the things her mind silently tells her she is.

_You’re worthless. You’re hopeless. You’re nothing._

She almost reaches over to turn off the lamp, but she stops herself.

Lucas says “Riley” at the same time Riley begins to say “Lucas”, and they both laugh quietly. Lucas, however, notices how Riley’s smile never reaches her eyes, and he takes a step closer to the bed.

“Riley,” Lucas tries again, this time being met with silence, an indication he can continue, “I’m.. worried.”

“Lucas, I’m-”

“Fine. I know you’re fine. But, Riley, are you _really_?”

Riley groans and stares at her lap almost mumbling when she speaks, “You sound just like Maya.”

“Good.”

Riley looks up when she hears the conviction in his voice. He’s staring at her with such an intensity it makes her want to crumble right into his arms and tell him every bad thing that has ever happened to her. But she doesn’t.

Instead, she pats the spot next to her on the bed and watches as he slowly makes his way to a seated position against the headboard next to her. Their shoulders are pressed against each other, his long legs stretching just past hers on the bedspread.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, neither knowing where to begin.

Lucas goes first. “Riley, I need you to tell me what is going on.”

Riley remains silent, playing with her hands. There is no hiding now, and she knows that.

Lucas sighs when he gets no reply. “Maya told me you’re not sleeping.”

At that Riley whips her head up to meet his green eyes. “She what?”

Lucas holds his hands up slightly in mock defense, “I already had a feeling you weren’t. I notice things Riley. So, I asked her about it, and she confirmed it.”

Riley relaxes back into the headboard, never breaking eye contact with the boy beside her.

“We’re worried about you, you know.” He says it as he searches her eyes—as if the answer to what is wrong can be found there.

After another moment he holds out his hand, staring at her expectantly. Riley lets a small smile grace her lips as she slides her hand into his, linking their fingers together.

“You don’t have to do this, Riley.” Lucas’ eyes bore into hers. “You don’t have to do this all alone. Not anymore.”

Riley looks down at their linked hands and thinks of all the times Lucas has been there for her. All the times her friends have been there for her. And how lucky she is to have people in her life that are willing to risk their own happiness for hers.

Before Riley has a chance to reply, Lucas is speaking again.

“Turn off the lamp,” he demands.

“What?”

“Just trust me.” He wears a mischievous smile, and with a raised brow Riley does as she’s told.

She uses her hand, not linked with his, to reach over and flick the lamp off, engulfing the room in darkness. She feels the covers lift beside her and the bed dip down as a body sinks beneath the duvet.

“Come here,” Lucas whispers. She can hear the trepidation in his voice, the silent fear that she’ll reject him. But Riley quietly removes herself from the headboard and sinks further under the covers and lays her head on her pillow.

The two are now side by side, laying on their backs, hands still entangled beneath the purple of Riley’s duvet, their soft breaths the only sound in the room.

Riley and Lucas have never shared a bed before. They’ve had sleepovers with their friends, ones where she and Maya took the bed, and the rest of the gang inhabited varying places around the room on mats and sleeping bags.

Riley always thought there would be some sort of underlying feeling of dread to sharing a bed with Lucas. Some reason they’d be there, something neither of them were ready for.

But as the clock now strikes one, and Riley feels Lucas squeeze her hand tighter, all Riley feels is a calmness that washes over her like rain on a hot summer’s day.

She turns her body so she is facing him, maneuvering their linked hands between them as he adjusts his position too.

And before she can stop herself, she begins to speak as her eyes adjust to the darkness.

“I can’t sleep because my mind is on this constant overdrive. Like a machine that never stops working. I just think and think, and the thoughts never go away as much as I will them to. And I’m constantly at war with myself. It’s like a nightmare, but I can never wake up.”

“Because you’re already awake,” Lucas finishes as he silently takes in all she is saying.

“Yeah,” is all Riley can manage to reply. She feels tears prickle at the corner of her eyes at the admittance of her feelings. She knows what she’s said only scratches the surface to the depth of what is truly wrong. But it’s the first time in weeks she’s managed to say anything to anyone.

Lucas releases Riley’s hand, and for a moment she panics, thinking she’s said the wrong thing. But before she has time to voice her fears, she feels his arms circle around her torso as he pulls her closer, so she’s almost fully against his chest.

“I can’t erase your fears,” he begins, “But I plan to be here as long as you need me.”

Any other day Riley would giggle at how cheesy that line was. At how _practiced_ it sounds. And maybe it is practiced. Maybe he’s been thinking about this for a while, protecting her and being there for her as long as she needs him. Maybe Riley isn’t as good at hiding as she thinks she is.

But one thing she does know, is she’s not so good at opening up. And it will take some time before she is able to fully let him in, to the darkness she holds captive in her mind.

Lucas speaks again, softly, and close enough it’s like he’s whispering in her ear, “But only if you’ll let me.”

Riley winds her arms around his chest and allows her face to press against him. She nods, knowing he’ll feel it.

And just like that, Riley feels a weight lift off her chest. A pressure relieved that she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying.

And despite the fear of letting someone in, letting someone know her deepest, darkest secrets, and the fears she keeps behind closed curtains in her mind; she knows at some point she needs to let them surface.

Drowning your demons will never get rid of them. They’ll sink and they’ll sink, and they’ll sink—but they never vanish. And only when you let them float to the surface, can they be left on dry land.

And as she rests her head on Lucas’ chest, and Lucas shifts to allow them both a more comfortable sleeping position, Riley thinks how easy it could be to let Lucas remove the demons from the ocean within her.

The current may be rough, and the water deep, but together, they know how to swim.

With her head on his heart, she sleeps more soundly than she’s ever slept in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed please leave a comment, it would really mean a lot! 
> 
> stileslydias.tumblr.com


	2. we make love between the spaces of our fingers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 2 // hand holding** ; This is extremely fluffy, enjoy !!
> 
> Thank you to ginsharry (tumblr) for beta-reading this one shot!

If Lucas had to pick his second favourite thing in the world—coming in second, only to talking with Riley Matthews—it would be holding Riley Matthews' hand.

It was a simple gesture, one the two had become accustomed to in the years they've known each other. It was a reflex for Lucas, whenever anything happened—whether it be good news, bad news, or comfortable silence—he'd reach out and let her make the connection between them. The spaces between his long fingers always having room for her slim and smaller ones.

So here he sat facing the beautiful brunette in front of him, both of them with long legs crossed and knees touching. Her hands were in his as they sat in silence, his thumbs rubbing circles on the back of them.

"You know," Lucas says, breaking the silence, "I think each space between our fingers means something."

Riley looks up and meets his forest eyes. She cocks her head with a mischievous look in her eyes, "What do they mean, then?"

Lucas gets lost in the depth of her eyes for a moment, almost forgetting she asked a question. He clears his throat. "Well, for example.." He releases both of her hands from their locked position in his, and with both of his, picks up her right hand only. "This one," he says, as he maneuvers his left pinky finger between her pinky and fourth finger on her right hand, "This space here represents the time we first met. On the subway in seventh grade."

Riley lets out a soft giggle, "The beginning."

"The beginning," Lucas agrees never taking his eyes off their hands. "I was new to town, having just left my only home and best friend. I was definitely lost, nervous, and scared. But for a moment, after you landed on my lap, I had forgotten all of that. It almost felt like I was meant to take that seat on the subway. Like fate wanted me there."

"Well, there's no such thing as coincidence," Riley says matter-of-factly.

"Exactly," Lucas replies.

He laughs lightly and moves his ring finger, connecting it to the space between her fourth and middle fingers. "The second space here," he explains, "Is for the time I realized that home is wherever my friends are—wherever _you_ are."

Riley's face turns soft, "We'll always be your home, Lucas."

"I know," he whispers, smiling too. Their eyes meet for a moment before he continues.

He moves through each reason by placing his fingers in the spaces between hers where they fit.

"The third space is for our first date," He reminisces.

"And our first kiss," she adds, blushing slightly.

Lucas nods. "I remember I was talking with Farkle—about what I couldn't tell you now—but then I saw you. And, Riley, you were _so_ beautiful, I felt like the entire world stopped."

Riley's small smile lifts higher as tears begin to prickle at her eyes. Lucas uses his free hand to brush away a stray tear before he continues. "You're so beautiful, Riley."

Riley's eyes glisten with a naivety that Lucas adores. Hell, everything she does is endearing to him.

"And the fourth," he moves their fingers, "Is for the one time we tried dating for real. But we decided that we didn't need to be pressured into that. We'd get here eventually, I always knew that."

Riley nods, "And don't forget that embarrassing speech about the Knicks." She laughs and Lucas joins her.

"I found that speech quite endearing." He laughs alongside her.

"You did," Riley nods, "I specifically remember you saying-"

"I really like you, Riley."

Riley blushes, "Yeah, that."

Lucas smiles twiddling with her fingers a bit before moving on, "And the fifth space, to finish off this hand, is for the time we spent in Texas."

Riley pauses and looks up at Lucas hesitantly. "That wasn't my greatest moment," she whispers looking back down.

"Riley, you were doing what you thought was best. We all were doing what we thought was best. But I remember Texas for a whole other reason," he states.

"What reason?" Riley looks back up at him.

She looks at him quizzically, and Lucas explains, "We tried dating but it didn't work out. We were pressured into it, and the only reason it didn't work was because we weren't ready for that step yet. But that night when you told me we were more like brother and sister.. That's when I knew."

"Knew what?"

"That I was ready."

Riley sucks in a breath, "You knew back then, you were ready?"

Lucas nods, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, "I might not have realized it right in that moment. But I definitely knew by the time we got back home. But by then you were pushing the sibling thing, and Maya had admitted feelings to me."

"It was a big mess, wasn't it?" Riley muses.

"Yeah, but we all figured it out," He smiles lifting their conjoined hands to emphasize his point.

"That we did," Riley is all smiles as she looks down at their now completely joined hands, "So, what about this hand?" She lifts up her other hand and waves it slightly.

"Well," Lucas begins, taking her hand and placing his pinky finger into the space it fits just like he did with her other hand, "This is the sixth space."

"And what does the sixth space mean for us, Lucas?" Riley is all smiles and glistening eyes as she speaks. And Lucas thinks for a moment how lucky he is to be here, sitting with her in this room, and the journey it took to get here.

"This space represents New Year's. The night I found out you still had feelings for me."

Riley sighs, "I still don't think Farkle should have done that."

"Maybe he shouldn't have," Lucas starts, "But I can't even imagine how frustrated he must have been with the three of us."

Riley laughs, "We were quite the handful."

"Were?" Lucas quirks a brow.

"You know what I mean!" She laughs.

Lucas laughs along with her, and then his voice goes somber again, "It was the moment I realized I hadn't lost my chance with you. But with Maya, I- I couldn't just outright say that."

Riley gives a soft smile but doesn't say anything. Lucas appreciates the silence. They both know exactly what went down, and how complicated the road was to get to where they are. No need to open old wounds.

So Lucas continues, "And the seventh space here," he maneuvers their fingers together, "Is for our first major fight, when we started high school."

"That was some fight, huh?" Riley quirks a brow at Lucas.

"Yeah," Lucas sighs, "But we made it. We'll always make it."

Riley nods and looks back down at their joined hands.

Lucas knows fighting with Riley was one of the biggest mistakes in his life so far. He mistreated her and Maya. He just wanted to protect them, and instead he ended up being the one they needed protecting from instead.

"What about the eighth space?" Riley questions.

Lucas knows she can see the hurt and plea of guilt in his eyes. She's trying to change the subject, move his mind from past to present.

He lets her.

"The eighth space is for that day at the ski lodge." He smiles as he watches her somber face turn into a genuine smile.

"The day you gave me the jelly bean," she whispers.

"And the day you gave me everything I could have hoped for."

Riley's smile widens and she leans forward and gives him a chaste kiss on the cheek before sitting back. "You sure have a way with words, Friar."

"I try," he shrugs as a deep blush forms on his cheeks.

Riley shakes her head slightly, "Can you believe we're here? After everything we went through. It's now you and me. Me and you. Together."

Lucas smiles softly at her, "I can believe it, Riley. I think I always knew. I mean, it was never a choice. Not for me."

"It wasn't for me either."

Lucas looks down at their joined hands after her admission. The blush remains on his cheeks as he clears his throat and continues. "The ninth space is for the time you were going to move across the ocean. The time I thought I'd be losing you."

Riley and Lucas' eyes meet. Emotions pass between them like two tidal waves crashing at sea.

Lucas continues, "I was so scared, Riley. _So scared_. You were the first person to believe in me, and help me believe in myself, in a place that was new to me. You were the reason I was able to call this place _home_. And you were going to just.. _Leave_. And if home was wherever you were.." His voice trails off as a few tears he hadn't realized he'd been holding back fall.

"I know," Riley says softly. They both lean forward so their foreheads are touching, as Riley wipes his tears away.

"It was only a few weeks ago, and even though you're here in front of me. Sometimes I swear I have nightmares of you leaving."

"Lucas, Lucas, look at me," Riley whispers. Lucas leans back slightly so he can stare into her eyes, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," he smiles, repeating her words.

They sit in silence for a while as they each think. Riley stares out the bay window, while Lucas continues his soft, rhythmic patterns on her skin.

Suddenly Riley turns to face him, "Wait, Lucas. You only gave nine reasons. And the ninth reason happened only a few weeks ago. What is the tenth?"

Lucas gives a slightly knowing look. He lifts there hands slightly, now all ten fingers of his locked in place with ten of hers. "The tenth space, is right now." Riley's eyes widen slightly and Lucas continues, "Because there is something I haven't said. But it's something I've wanted to say for a really long time."

Riley raises a brow, a look of curiosity etched on her face.

"Riley, I love you."

The look on Riley's face at his admission takes Lucas back a couple months. Back to the time he admitted his true feelings to her in the ski lodge. She was radiant, glowing, and he knew his face mirrored hers.

And despite their past, the ups and the downs, and everything they had been through. They somehow made it here. Fate had brought them here. And whether you believe in fate, or think the world is built on a series of coincidences and chance encounters, Lucas Friar would be able to tell you with absolute certainty, he was meant to be sitting here with Riley Matthews.

It's amazing the places you can end up, with just one ride on the subway.  


	3. we tear ourselves apart, just to feel something again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 3 // one exception au** ; I went with: what if lucas got hurt while riding the bull in texas?
> 
> I just want to say this fic was extremely hard for me to write, for many reasons. Guilt is one of those emotions I think Riley struggles with the most. She feels it way more than any of the other characters in the gmw-verse and writing her in this was extremely heartbreaking. I struggled with this piece, but it finally came together and I hope you all enjoy it, even if it's sad.
> 
> special thanks to ginsharry (on tumblr) for reading this for me and encouraging me with this extremely hard piece to write! I love you <3

She remembers the beeping the most.

Not because of how annoying it sounded, or how rhythmic it was to her ears. No, the incessant noise was the only reminder of the life the beautiful boy before her clung to. The same beautiful boy she let her heart cling to.

Flashbacks of the events prior run through her head like a broken record. She watches him fall and fall, over and over again in the containment of her mind. And she can’t make it stop, can’t make herself forget.

And all she feels is guilt.

This gut-wrenching, sickening guilt. The only thought making its way through the chaos of her mind, being how it was _all her fault_.

Now, however, she’s standing in her dark room, back in New York. The place that is supposed to feel like home, the place that keeps her safe. Except she’s closed and locked the bay window for the first time since she can remember, trapping herself. She feels like she _deserves_ to be alone like this. Trapped in her room, with only the shadows to keep her company. And nothing about it feels like home.

_Except it should_ , she thinks to herself, _maybe you don’t deserve a home._

_Maybe solitude_ is _your home_.

She remembers standing in the hall that held private rooms at the hospital. She caught a glimpse of the only boy she’s ever cared for, laying silent on a plain, white hospital bed. His skin pale, tubes and wires connected to him like he was part of some circuit or machine, like he wasn’t even a person. She had stood stalk still staring at the commotion of doctors shuffling in and out of his room.. Like she was an outsider looking in. Like she didn’t belong in that room with the broken boy she swore she might love, but would never admit to him out loud.

And she remembers thinking it was her fault. It would always be her fault. And the doctors had assured her, he would be okay. But she didn’t know if she ever would be.

Because you see, when things happen there is always an instigating event. Nothing is ever coincidence, things always happen for a reason. But something had to set the ball in motion to get to the end result.

Like riding the subway to school and meeting the perfect boy. Or leaving your window open and making a best friend.

And in this case, Riley Matthews was the final push on the ball that sent Lucas Friar to the hospital in critical condition. And she knows it.

_Sure_ , she thinks, _there were many things that led up to what happened_ . But she also knows that it was _her_ idea to send Lucas to Texas to ride the bull, and it was _her_ final encouragement that sent him out that day, and it was _her_ that refused to believe Maya was right.

And it was because of _her_ he had gotten hurt.

She’s also well aware, whether admitted or not, that her best friend also has feelings for the same boy who lays unconscious back in Texas. She realized it once she had let everything sink in. The way the blonde didn’t want him to ride the bull, the way she always makes fun of him, it makes _sense_. And now it’s just another weight added to her already sagging shoulders.

She stares out her bay window, standing in the middle of her room, arms holding fists at her side, and she cries. She cries and she cries, until it feels like there is no more crying left to be done.

And then she cries some more.

It’s all too much for the brunette. The pain of Lucas in the hospital, the guilt creeping up her spine, her best friend crushing on the same boy as her. It is suffocating, and she’s barely breathing.

She thinks of all the times Lucas silently cried for help. All the times he was uncertain of riding the bull, and all the times she had encouraged him when she should have _listened_ to him instead.

And if only she could travel back in time, Lucas would be okay right now, safe and at home.

Except he wasn’t. Instead he was 1,700 miles away, lying in a bed that was never his, and sleeping in a place he should never be. All because of her.

Everything else about the events prior are a muddled mess in her memories.

She remembers bits and pieces, like a puzzle she could somehow fit together if she only knew how.

Lucas falling off the bull. The way he didn’t respond to her calls of his name. People pulling her away from him as she screamed. His still body on a stretcher. The sirens. Farkle’s hand in hers. Zay’s distant calls. The sound of her own heart beating profusely in her chest.

She faintly remembers shortly after it happened, going to the hospital and pacing the halls for hours, and refusing all food and people that came near her.

_It was all her fault_. And she didn’t know what else to do.

He hadn’t woken up for days after that. Riley and her friends’ trip had ended, and they flew back home, without Lucas. Leaving nothing but balloons, flowers, teddy bears, and cards behind to be remembered by. They couldn’t rebook their flights, and their parents expected them back. And there was nothing any of them could do, Lucas was in the care of his own family. Even if Riley knew where his true home was.

She doesn’t remember much of the flight. Only remembers being shuffled from place to place by Maya. Like she was a paper doll, and Maya was afraid that with too many rips, she’d never be the same again, or with too much pressure the rips would only get deeper.

Riley thinks she’d deserve that; to never be whole again. Maybe she was never whole to begin with. She thinks now, she’ll never know.

Riley thinks about paper. How brittle it is, and its inability to repair itself even after the smallest tear. How if it crumples, it can never return its shape. She thinks the world is a lot like paper, her heart is like paper, everything is paper; once it’s broken, it never goes back. At least not completely.

Except her heart’s been torn to pieces by the doing of her own hands, and she doesn’t know how to stop herself.

She keeps tearing and tearing. Piece after piece of her innocence being stripped down to nothing.

Because Lucas Friar is in the hospital, and _it’s all her fault_.

She doesn’t say any of these thoughts out loud. In fact, she hasn’t spoken a word in the three days since the accident. All of her friends, her parents, her brother; they all try to get her to speak, all fail.

She’s scared if she speaks it will all come out. The pain, the suffering, the worry, the _guilt_ . And even if she believes it’s her fault, she’s terrified of everyone else believing it too. Because if they believe it, then it becomes _real_ . Her hurting Lucas, becomes _real_.

So instead of speaking, her thoughts remain as they are, trapped in her head. Like a caged animal, they run wild between the walls, and scream into the night. They’re softer in the day, but still ever-present, and they call out to her. Reminding her _it was all her fault_.

_It would always be her fault_.

She doesn’t sleep that night. Instead she sits in the darkest corner of her room, and cries.

Because if Lucas was left to sleep in a bed that wasn’t his, why should she?

 

**. . .**

 

Two days later Riley receives a letter in the mail. Topanga slips it to her silently in the morning, along with a cup of hot cocoa with tiny, colourful marshmallows.

Riley takes the mug and letter before closing the door behind her, leaving her alone in her room again.

She’d missed the last two days of school, everyone was worried about her— _everyone was worried about Lucas_ , she reminds herself, _this isn’t about you_.

She sets the mug down on her nightstand and sits with her legs crossed in the middle of her bed. She toys with the paper in her hands.

She thinks, wryly, about paper again. How she could easily rip it to shreds between her small fingers. Just as easily as she’s done to herself.

Instead, she opens the letter without bothering to read who it’s from. She almost drops it when she realizes it’s written in Lucas’ scrawl.

_Riley,_ she reads. She feels tears begin to prickle at her eyes before she even reads past her name. She’s never been so terrified in her life at reading words on a page. She’s scared of what he might have to say.

She thinks of him sitting in his hospital room, surrounded by his family and friends in Texas. She now pictures him in the white room, alone, pen and paper in hand, carefully writing out words she now holds carefully between her fingertips. She takes a deep breath, and reads;

_Riley,_

_Texting felt too impersonal for what I wanted to say. And who even thinks writing letters is a form of dead communication anyway? If anything, the two of us can bring it back, I’m sure of it._

_But I know you know me well enough, there is a reason I’m writing to you. So I’ll get straight to the point._

_First I want to say that I’m fine. Except for some broken ribs, and a nasty concussion, the doctors say I should make a full recovery._

_I also wanted to say thank you._

_And I know you, you’re going to be confused as to why. So let me tell you._

_The moment I woke up in the hospital and realized you weren’t there, that all my friends had left and gone home, I panicked. I had been out for five days. And I know that isn’t a long amount of time, but to wake up and find a piece of your life missing is one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had to go through._

_It took me a moment to really realize my surroundings, to see my Pappy Joe sitting near my bed. The nurse came and took my vitals, they explained to me everything that had happened._

_Except all I wanted to know was if you were okay. Because Riley, I know you. The moment I realized where I was, and what had happened, I knew you would blame yourself._

_And Riley this is not your fault. It was never your fault. It will never be your fault._

_And I’ll shout it from the rooftops over here in Texas in the hopes you’ll hear it all the way from New York. But this letter will do, I guess. Until I’m home and I can tell you over and over again, in person._

_Because Riley, no matter the outcome of this event, whether I had been injured or not, you gave me the courage to try something I never thought I could do. And that is something I never want you to stop doing. You always believe in people Riley. And that is one of the greatest gifts you can offer someone. We never know what’s going to happen to us, and we never know if what we’re about to do will mend us or break us. But, the fact you believed in me, when it felt like no one else did, means the world to me Riley._

_And so I had to write this all down. Even though there are like hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, at least, and it would be almost impossible for me to string any together that could possibly make you believe this is not your fault, it isn’t Riley._

_It’s not your fault. It will never be your fault._

_Thank you for believing in me, and I’ll see you soon._

_Never stop believing in people,_

_Lucas._

After reading his words, Riley gently folds the letter and places it on her nightstand next to the untouched mug of hot cocoa. She freely lets her tears fall as she folds her hands in her lap.

She gets up slowly from her bed, unlocks her bay window and opens it up to allow the cool breeze of the afternoon to seep through. She hears the singing of birds, and watches as the clouds drift apart in the sky.

It’s ironic how a piece of paper, the same kind that can be torn in two and never put back together again, can be the one reason her soul begins to mend.

A paper world, her paper heart, _everything_ is paper. But, she’s realized now, not everything has to be broken. At least not completely.


	4. wages & wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 4 // argument** ; this one calls for an argument.
> 
> This fic is very lighthearted, thought y'all deserved it after reading my day 3! It includes the entirety of the clique six, as well as smarkle! :)
> 
> Thank you to ginsharry on tumblr for reading this over, as always! love you! (: x

“Let’s place a bet.”

It was Saturday, and Maya, Farkle, Smackle, and Zay are all sat in Topanga’s.They sit at the group’s usual place, Maya and Zay on the right seat, Smackle and Farkle across from them. Three feet over from where the four were sitting peacefully, and not in their usual seat in between them all, were Riley and Lucas talking, not so peacefully.

“What are we betting on?” Smackle was the only one to return an answer to Maya’s question, the other two boys eyeing the situation happening not too far away.

“How long this fight will last, duh,” Maya flips her hair before picking up her drink and taking a sip. “I bet this argument will last all of ten minutes before they kiss and make-up.” Maya shrugs her shoulders, leans back in her chair, and kicks one leg over the other in a crossed position.

“I don’t think it’s very ethical of us to treat our friends’ debacle as a source of income, Maya.”

Maya rolls her eyes at Smackle, “Don’t think of it as a source of income, Smackle. Think of it as a simple exchange of money over common interests.”

“Like a business deal?” Smackle raises a brow.

“Sure, Smackle, like a business deal.”

Farkle turns his attention to the two girls, “What business deal are we making now?”

Maya smirks, “How long the lovebirds will last before their argument ends and they go back to making heart eyes at each other.”

“Well that’s easy,” Zay joins in, “I give them an hour.”

“An hour?” Maya raises her brows, “Damn Texan, you’re giving them a lot of credit here.”

Zay shrugs, “This seems like a pretty heated discussion.”

“If you want to bet against their current track record then go right ahead. And what about you two, what are your wages?”

Maya and Zay both turn to Smackle and Farkle, who are seated in the cushioned chair right across from them.

“What?” Smackle asks.

Zay answers, “Well, what are your two guesses?”

“What are we betting with anyway?” Farkle asks.

Maya rolls her eyes, “Money, geniuses.”

“How much?” Smackle counters.

“Hmm,” Maya thinks, “I think I’m feeling like a twenty.”

“Each!?” Smackle and Farkle say at the same time.

“I’m feeling lucky,” Maya shrugs again, sipping from her drink.

“Maya, you do realize that gambling can be an addiction and-“

“Smackle, I’m simply placing a bet, not looking for the nearest casino to go bankrupt in.” Maya rolls her eyes. Smackle thinks if she rolls them anymore they’ll get lodged in the back of her head.

“Fine,” Smackle says, crossing her legs just like Maya, “Then I bet they’ll last half an hour.”

“I agree,” Farkle looks over at Smackle, “Judging from their history of fights and the average length of time they last, I’d have to guess they would last roughly thirty minutes.”

Smackle smiles and nods, they both look over at Maya and Zay, speaking in unison “Smarkle Corporation bets on half an hour.”

“Can they do that?!” Zay turns his attention to Maya, clearly she is taking the reins on this one.

Maya squints her eyes at the two geniuses in front of her. “If Smarkle Corp is betting forty dollars, then we have a deal.”

Smackle and Farkle look at each other for a second before replying in unison once again, “Deal.”

Zay looks back and forth between the two in front of him, “You guys really just did that.”

Maya smirks, “Hey, if it means more money for me, I really don’t care.”

Smackle shrugs, “I believe in my sweet’s guess,” she points to Farkle.

“And I believe in hers,” replies Farkle.

The two turn to each other and give small, shy smiles. Smackle giggles, while Maya takes out her phone and sets a timer, placing it on the table.

Zay pokes Maya in her side, she turns to look at him, “What?”

Zay points back over to Smackle and Farkle, who are still staring into each other’s eyes, “And you call Riley and Lucas the lovebirds?”

Maya just laughs as she presses start on the timer.

 

**. . .**

 

Close to ten minutes into the timer, Riley and Lucas have moved back to their usual shared seat. Except there is a visible half a foot distance between the two where they sit. Riley is closer to Maya and Zay, while Lucas is closer to Smackle and Farkle.

The two geniuses are currently in a heated discussion about quantum mechanics, while Maya and Zay have their attention on Riley and Lucas.

Riley, sick of the silence and the staring, turns her attention to Maya, “What, Maya?”

“Hmm?” Maya fakes disinterest by picking up her novel for English class and opening it to the bookmarked page.

“You and Zay have been staring at Lucas and I like we’re animals at a zoo. What gives?”

Suddenly a beeping is heard from Maya’s phone on the table, indicating ten minutes has gone by. A chorus of “Aha!” and “You lost!” come from Smackle, Farkle, and Zay. Maya huffs and flips a page of her book,  _ The Handmaid’s Tale _ . She fishes out a twenty from her pocket and slaps it on the table before pouting her lips at Margaret Atwood’s work instead of her friends.

“What’s that for?” This time it’s Lucas asking.

Maya doesn’t look up from her book, so Zay speaks instead, “Some money she owes me.”

This gets Maya’s attention, _ “ _ Owes  _ you?” _

Zay smirks, while Farkle speaks up, “How do you know the money is going to you?”

“Easy,” Zay replies, “Just wait until the beeping goes off for you, in about twenty minutes, and forty  _ more _ dollars are added to  _ my _ pile.”

Riley and Lucas are looking back and forth between their other two pairs of friends, entirely confused.

Lucas leans over and whispers to Riley, “Do you have any idea what is going on?”

Riley whispers just as quietly, “Not a clue.”

Both Zay and Farkle are now standing, squared up to one another, and are fighting about the money on the table and something about a timer. Smackle quickly stands up to join Farkle by his side, Maya is watching, amused, from behind the cover of her English book.

Amidst the chaos, Lucas looks over at his girlfriend and nods his head towards the exit. Riley catches on and gives him a small smile and a nod. Lucas takes her hand and pulls her outside, where they sit on the steps that lead back up to the busy streets of New York.

“I’m sorry-“ Lucas starts at the same time as Riley says “Lucas, I’m sorry-“

They both laugh and Lucas nods for Riley to go first.

“I’m sorry for getting upset with you earlier.” She offers it up to him, a simple apology, one she knows he’ll accept.

Prior to this conversation they had been having a small argument over the fact Lucas had to cancel on their weekly movie date. It was something neither of them have ever missed before, and Riley knows she took it too far. She knows Lucas has a good reason to miss their date, sometimes it’s just hard to let go of tradition.

“I’m sorry for having to cancel. Really, I am Riley.” Lucas replies softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and presses her into his side. He lays a soft kiss to the top of her head.

Riley smiles and replies, “I know. We’ve been doing this for two years now, it just kind of hit me that a two year tradition would be kind of broken, you know?”

Lucas nods softly, “I know. But it’s not  _ really _ broken. We can pick another day, or even watch a double feature next week.”

Riley smiles, she definitely likes the sound of that.

“Come on, let’s go back in.”

The moment they walk back into Topanga’s, their friends turn their attention towards the pair. Riley and Lucas are holding hands, the brunette looks up at her boyfriend and gives him a small smile before pulling him back to their seats.

Just then, the timer goes off in the center of the table. And Zay swears under his breath as he plops a twenty down on top of Maya’s.


	5. ineffable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 5 // future** ; this one calls for us to take a shot at where Riley and Lucas will be in the future.
> 
> and I just want to say that this fic is not necessarily by headcanon-verse for these two? i’m weird I know, but I have always just kind of adored the idea of rucas living in a cute little apartment, lucas is the veterinarian we all knew he would be, and riley is a nurse; not that I necessarily believe this is exactly where they will be at in the future, but it's cute and fluffy either way :)

June would always be a special month for Riley and Lucas. As fate would have it, every year when June rolled around, something good always happened for the pair. Aside from the month’s promise of a warm breeze, hot summer days, cloudless skies, and birds singing tunes.

Riley assumed it was the change in season, it led them to make more rash decisions, resulting in only good consequences.

Lucas felt it was due to the time of year, June was the month where things always changed for the two, be it coming home from school, or trips with their friends to places they’ve never been before.

The first June that brought good fortune was the month of high school graduation. It had been a particularly hot day, but Riley and Lucas, along with their four best friends, had celebrated their final day of high school at the large ceremony held at their school, and their own after-party that consisted of the six. Maya had suggested it, surprisingly, instead of being at a party with all of their classmates Maya wanted to do one last ‘hoorah’ with the six of them only. “Prom is when we party with our classmates,” Maya had said, “Graduation is where we celebrate our freedom, together.”

And so they did just that. They drove around the outskirts of New York City in Maya’s new-old beat-up car (a gift from Shawn), and played old tunes and stopped at parks, meadows, for food, anything they wanted to do.

Riley spent most of the time reminiscing about old memories, Lucas listening to her stories with her pressed into his side in the much-too-crowded backseat. He adored listening to her talk, watching as her eyes danced with different emotions as she told her stories animatedly.

Lucas decided if the entire world was burning down, he wouldn’t even notice, not if Riley was there talking next to him.

Smackle and Farkle sat beside them having their own conversation, Maya and Zay in the front—apparently Zay  _ could _ drink an entire can of coke in under 10 seconds—earning him shotgun.

It was a night none of them would ever forget.

The following four years, and subsequent four months of June, that passed by were a celebration of sorts for Riley and Lucas.

It always happened around May/June, when Lucas would finally come home from school, and Riley and Lucas would be once again reunited from their months away from each other at school.

Long distance had been surprisingly easy for the two. They called, facetimed, or skyped almost every day, and texting was a must. After four years of high school, and even the two years of middle school, the two knew that it would take much more than a couple thousand miles to split them apart.

The first June they were reunited was a very bittersweet memory for Lucas. Every semester, after school ended, Lucas would spend a couple weeks in Texas before heading back to New York. Except this particular June his Pappy Joe had been involved in a terrible car accident, resulting in hospitalization and lots and lots of rehab. Lucas had to stay in Texas much longer than expected. But the moment Riley knew, she had her flight booked and she was off to Texas to spend time with Lucas and help in any way she could.

Pappy Joe had been ecstatic to see the brunette, he always gushes how the sun shines so much brighter in Texas whenever she is there. His recovery had been almost miraculous, according to the doctors, and it turned out to be one of the best months in Texas Riley and Lucas had ever spent.

The following three Junes would probably be nothing out of the ordinary for anyone else. But spending much more time in Texas before heading back to New York became an almost tradition for Lucas. Some years Riley came too, but soon she was helping her mom with the expansion of Topanga’s café, and working more hours in the hospital, she couldn’t leave home for long. 

Except by mid-June of each year, Lucas would come home and head to the Matthews’ apartment (where Riley still lived to save her money), and she would be there awaiting him with open arms.

They would talk and laugh about all the happenings that went on during the year they hadn’t already discussed on the phone. Sometimes they would just hug for minutes, or head to her room and just  _ feel _ . 

Because it’s one thing to talk with someone on the phone, but it’s something else altogether when you could finally reach out and  _ touch _ them there. 

Humans are built on physical connections. Social beings that need to feel the presence of others, otherwise loneliness sets in. So it only made sense, that every year when Lucas would come home after months of not being with Riley, they would just lay on Riley’s made-bed and no words would pass between them. Instead, they had all their conversations with the feeling of skin-on-skin. 

They would hold hands, Lucas rubbing circles on the back of Riley’s knuckles. Riley would play with the ends of Lucas’ dirty blond hair, mostly pulling and teasing the ends on the nape of his neck. Lucas would rub his hand up and down her arm as they lay on their sides. And Riley would cup his cheeks, memorizing every freckle and marking on his skin.

Mostly, they would just lay and hold each other close. It was comforting for them, to know the other was just  _ there _ , right in front of them, instead of staying miles and miles away.

The greatest gift of their long-distance relationship, were the moments they finally got to spend together, alone.

The final June after college, was a big step for Riley and Lucas.

They had both graduated, and decisions needed to be made as to what their next step would be. They had both determined long ago that  _ Home _ was wherever each other were, so where they settled wouldn’t matter.

However, as fate would have it, they ended up with a cozy apartment in New York City, not far from Riley’s parents, not far from a Veterinary practice Lucas had found a job at, and not far from the Hospital where Riley worked as a nurse.

Everything had gone smoothly. They moved in early June, the weather had cooperated and all the furnishings they ordered for the apartment had come right on time. Riley and Lucas spent a lot of time weeks prior picking out colours and thread types, Lucas had enjoyed the time with Riley despite the activity. (He enjoyed the activities a lot more than he’d admit to anyone,  _ especially _ to Maya).

It was near the end of June now, Lucas sat on the couch with Riley’s legs were draped over his. They were watching a film, but as most times he spends watching a movie with Riley, his eyes are trained on her instead of the screen. He loves to watch as her face changes and reflects the emotions shown on film, her hands always finding parts of him during particularly heartfelt or scary parts. He loves seeing the real Riley like this, how raw she was when she was doing things she didn’t even notice she was doing. How  _ beautiful _ she was.

Lucas picks up the remote and pauses the movie. Riley looks over at him quizzically, “Lucas?” she asks.

Lucas opens his mouth, closing it again quickly. Funny enough, he isn’t really sure  _ why _ he stopped the movie when he did. Maybe it was the way her face was upturned in a smile, as the characters on the screen finally had a spark of good news. Maybe it was her hand, unknowingly, rubbing up and down his arm. Maybe it was the feeling of her toes tickling his other arm beneath the blanket that was draped over both of them.

Maybe he thought pausing the movie would stop and frame this moment of her forever. He thinks about all the places he’d hang this framed moment if he could.

“Lucas?” Riley starts again with a small giggle, grabbing his attention from his thoughts, “Why’d you pause the movie?”

Lucas lets a small smile frame his lips, “I really love you, Riley.”

And he thinks, maybe it will be okay that he can’t frame this moment forever. He’d much rather live it over and over again in his memories anyway.

Riley giggles with a shy smile, the same way she did back in middle school, when he had said similar words with seemingly less meaning—but they both know that’s not true.

“I really love you, too, Lucas.”

And by the following June they’re engaged, with plans for a June wedding. Where they can hold the reception outside in a warm courtyard with all their closest family and friends.

It may have been simple, or maybe their story was too great for words. Ineffable of its own accord. Like a sky full of twinkling diamonds, or a landscape of a million trees lining mountain sides. 

And what can you say besides, they lived happily ever after?

They lived happily all along.


	6. somewhere only we go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 6 // hugging** ;
> 
> okay so this was a big work for me. It is entirely AU, basically operating on the assumption of Lucas never moved to New York until Riley’s senior year of high school. it is told in snippets, and I’m actually quite proud of it? Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!! It's also my longest work for the fic week so far at 4.2k :)
> 
> thank you to ginsharry on tumblr for reading this work over and being entirely supportive and loving, ahhh thank you!!

Riley Matthews was a girl with a lot of inner turmoil. She was her own toughest critic. For most people, they are hardest on themselves, however, Riley took it to a whole other level. She felt emotions as if they were amplified, she was extremely empathetic and strived to be the best version of herself she could possibly be. The problem lies in perfectionism. Except in this case, she never wanted to be tough like Maya or a genius like Smackle; she wanted to be the greatest version of _Riley_ she could possibly be.

Some would say she’s fragile this way, susceptible to more pain. Others will agree this makes her stronger. Maybe, quite possibly, stronger than anyone who could rid their chaos as quickly as it came. Living with your demons is never an easy task. And anyone who tries to say otherwise; hasn’t done it themselves.

However, the story that is rarely shared, the one that ties with the brunette’s, is about the demons that lie at night with a certain blond Texan.

When everyone else has gone to sleep, and everyone’s problems lay at rest, that’s when his real issues emerge.

You see, Lucas Friar is tough as nails, and sees himself as the fixer of all concerns. The protector, if you will. He would do anything it took to change the way he once was, and use it to protect those he loves the most. This comes with a huge responsibility. Whenever something goes wrong, whether he had anything to do with it or not, he feels it’s his fault. He failed his duty to stop the world from hurting his friends.

Thus, Riley and Lucas are one and the same.

And here’s the catch; neither of them will ever admit to their own problems.

Because their problems are _their_ problems, not anyone else’s. However, soon this would change.

And maybe Lucas Friar was like the match, and Riley Matthews was like the flame, ready to light the world ablaze in gorgeous technicolour.

All we need is a spark.

**. . .**

The first time Riley and Lucas meet, it’s a damp night in early-September. The summer air was starting to cool as the rain that fell earlier stuck to the earth’s floor. The night, a blanket over the sky, had stars shining like diamonds and the moon just as bright.

Riley is sitting outside of Topanga’s bakery; it had been her closing night. School was to start the next day, and Riley hardly got sleep as it was—instead finding comfort in the chilly air and small alcove the café sat in—let alone sleep on the night before a new school year.

She was reading her book, alight from the lamppost behind her, when she heard someone descending the stairs. The trick of the matter was, the café had closed over two hours prior, and any patron of Topanga’s would know. Riley quickly shut her book, and sat silent in her seat in the corner of the alcove, watching the stairs with intense curiosity—and maybe slight fear.

Suddenly a blond boy appeared before her. He was tall, with wide green eyes that held a world of curiosity as he stared at the brunette before him.

Riley, not knowing what else to do with the boy before her, whispered, “Hi.”

For a moment she didn’t receive a response. But after a few seconds he finally whispered back, “Hi.”

She gave a soft smile, “Did you need anything?” She felt eerily calm with this stranger before her. Maybe it was his body language, the way he stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his shoulders slightly slouched, as if he was a puppy and he was scared of the world around him.

The boy looked back up the stairs he had came, looked over at the bakery door and shook his head slightly, “Nah.”

Riley nodded, placing her book down gently in front of her, the part she was reading perfectly bookmarked.

The two stared at each other for another few moments. Riley had dated, and Riley had many friends, but she was never the one to be good at talking with boys. Not alone anyway, that award would go to Maya every time.

Riley shuffled in her seat a bit, with lack of better judgement she spoke again, “Uh- so. What are you doing here?”

The boy shuffled in his place as well, Riley was hoping she didn’t make him feel too uncomfortable with her question.

“Just wandering,” he shrugged as if it was a perfectly acceptable answer. And maybe to anyone else it would have been, but Riley Matthews was an entirely curious person. And despite her better knowledge, there was something about this boy that drew her in.

“Any idea where you’re going?”

“Not a clue,” the boy laughed out, but quickly sobered, “But sometimes I think it’s better that way.” He shrugged as he said the last bit, casting his eyes upwards towards the sky.

Riley smiled and nodded. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Except Riley had lived in the same city her whole life, and had barely left to go anywhere else. And she wishes with everything inside of her, she could wander and wander and never look back. And not know where she’ll end up.

“Yeah,” she finally replies, “It is.”

After another moment the boy asks, shyly, “So what’s your name?”

Riley raises a brow, “Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine?”

He laughs quietly, and scuffs his shoe into the pavement of the walkway. “Lucas. I’m Lucas Friar.”

“Riley. Riley Matthews.”

And with shy smiles, and a slightly awkward goodnight; here we have our spark.

**. . .**

It isn’t until two weeks later, same place and time, does Riley see the beautiful boy again.

She’s sitting in the same spot, reading a new book this time, when she hears steps on the stairs. She looks up and a contagious smile finds her face when she sees who it is, “Lucas.”

The boy returns her smile, “Riley.”

“How’s that wandering going?” Riley giggles.

Lucas shrugs, “Tonight I decided to have a destination.”

“Oh,” Riley blushes slightly. She hides her face, because even though _she_ thinks he means her, it doesn’t actually mean that’s what he was thinking.

“So,” Lucas starts, “Is this seat taken?” He points to the chair sitting across from Riley at her table.

She shakes her head, still covering her face, and Lucas laughs as he sits down.

They both sit in silence as Riley takes a good look at him. Despite the lack of lighting, she can tell his hair is a dirty blond, and his eyes shimmer with shades of green and brown as he moves his head under the light. He has high cheekbones and strong arms she can see beneath his blue hoodie.

And there is something about his gaze that makes her want to get lost in it.

“So I might be new around here,” Lucas starts, “But I’m pretty sure it’s not usual to see a young girl out so late by herself in New York City.” Riley raises a brow at his statement and he quickly stutters out more, “Not that you can’t take care of yourself, or anything. I was just- just making an observation.”

“An observation?” Riley repeats. She laughs slightly, maybe this boy was just as nervous as she was. Something about the realization made her calmer than before.

“Yeah,” Lucas mutters, “I guess what I’m trying to say is, uh-“ He rubs a hand on the back of his neck, “Did you need someone to walk you home?”

Riley blushes, and hopes he can’t see in the dim lighting. And something about the way he asks it, and something about the shy smile on his face makes her answer. “Sure,” she says lightly.

And maybe this time, their goodnights aren’t as awkward.

**. . .**

The pattern seems to continue. Whenever their beds couldn’t capture them in sleep and dreams, they find themselves meeting outside the alcove of Topanga’s café. They were drawn to each other, whether the other knew this or not; and they craved the secret meetings they kept with only the moon and stars as their witnesses.

One of the times they meet, it’s much colder outside. September quickly fading into October, and the nights got colder with each passing day. Despite the chill, Riley sat in her usual place, new book in hand, and a smile already plastered on her face.

Lucas shows up, right on time, taking the seat across from her, “Hey, stranger.”

Riley laughs and responds without looking up from her book, “If you were a stranger do you really think I’d respond to that?”

Lucas shrugs, “You did the first time, didn’t you?”

She puts her book down, “Okay, to be fair you didn’t say ‘hey, stranger’. And also I was the first one to speak, don’t you remember?”

Lucas just laughs leaning back in his chair. “It’s chilly tonight isn’t it?” He rubs his hands up and down his arms, as if to make a point, except Riley knows better. It really was cold outside, and she felt the urgency to mimic his movements to warm up her own body.

“We can go inside?” Riley offers pointing towards the bakery doors. It would be the first time they’d been inside, despite the multiple times they met here.

Lucas looks over at the bakery following the direction of her finger. He shakes his head, “Nah, I really like it out here. Reminds me more of home. Not the coldness, but just being outside.”

Riley nods and asks the question she’s surprised she hasn’t asked prior, “Where are you from?”

“Texas,” he replies immediately.

“Why’d you move?”

He laughs wryly, no real sense of humour present, “I didn’t really have a choice.”

Riley nods, not wanting to pry, despite the curiosity bubbling inside of her. “I know what it’s like to not have a choice,” she offers it up as a change of subject.

He bites. “How so?”

“I’ve lived here all my life,” she shrugs, “Sometimes I wish I could just uproot my life and start somewhere else. But I have my family, my friends; I don’t think I could do it. But I feel trapped here sometimes.”

Lucas nods along to her words, “I guess if we could trade places we would, huh?”

Riley laughs with him for a moment until she finally whispers, “Except sometimes there’s more to the story.”

“There always is.”

**. . .**

By the time November rolls around, the first snowfall soon on the horizon, Riley learns there is most definitely more to the story.

Lucas had been kicked out of his previous school for bad behaviour (not disclosed to her). His parents moved out to New York City to give him the fresh start he says he never wanted. And they also set him up to be home-schooled. It was his final year of high school, his friends had all graduated, and his parents made the decision, instead of enrolling him in school for just one year (one more extra since he missed one after being kicked out), to just finish his high school career from the safety of his home.

He tells Riley he thinks it’s because they don’t trust him. But they’d never admit it out loud.

Riley opens up about how lost she feels. The reason she spends every night outside of Topanga’s is not because she enjoys stargazing, or sitting outside in the cool, crisp air. The real reason she finds herself out here almost every night, is because she feels like despite the haven of her own home, and the loving family she is surrounded with, she doesn’t feel safe.

Not that her home isn’t the epitome of at-home-security. No, her real battle with safety is within herself. Because at night, in the depth of the darkness that encases her room, she is left with herself and her thoughts. Her thoughts that creep their way to the forefront of her mind; how useless she feels, all the mistakes that she made that day, how she wasn’t the perfect version of Riley she knows she can be.

And with secrets in the air, and pressure released from closed, unhealed wounds; Riley and Lucas hug for the first time.

It’s the kind of hug where two broken souls feel their cuts and bruises start to mend. The kind of hug that feels like you aren’t entirely alone. The kind of hug that makes the world turn upside down, but leaves the two people standing there upright.

And maybe the sharing becomes second-nature, because once a lighter starts the match; it’s easy for a flame to become a wildfire.

But no matter the mechanism, the effect is surreal. Riley finds herself saying things to Lucas she’d never say to anyone, not even Maya. She shares her darkest nightmares, and her witchiest dreams. And each time she shares something different she feels a weight lift off of her chest, to the point where she feels like she could float away.

And despite the way Lucas makes her feel like she’s floating, she knows he’s also her anchor, never allowing her feet to float too far away from the ground.

**. . .**

Soon Lucas opens up about his dark past.

By now it’s December and snow has blanketed the streets of New York. The weather man is calling for a white Christmas, and yet Lucas and Riley are still sitting outside under the one street lamp and millions of stars.

“My best friend was in trouble.” Neither of them had spoken for a few minutes, slightly shivering in the snow. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I-I stopped it.” Lucas’ voice was timid, shy almost. Despite all the secrets they’ve shared, it was like this was the worst one. As if Riley would up and leave after its admittance. Little did he know, she was determined to stay. She was anchored to her seat, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

“How did you stop it?” Her own voice sounded small to her ears.

“I got in a fight.” He paused, “A really bad one, Riley.”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you make it-”

“They kicked me out of school, Riley.”

Riley snaps her mouth shut. Her tendency to try and make people feel better backfiring on her. After a moment of silence Riley can’t help but ask, “So what happened?”

“Let’s just say the other guy didn’t walk away. And I was almost unscathed. I’m not proud of it.”

“But what about your best friend?”

Lucas looked confused. “No one’s ever asked me that before.”

“What do you mean?” Riley raised her brows.

“No one’s ever asked me why I had done it, or the outcome of it. They only care about the what, not the _why_.”

“Well,” Riley gave a small smile, “Here I am asking.”

Lucas smiles wide, “He was okay. And if I hadn’t stepped in, I’m not sure if I’d be able to say that.”

Riley nodded. The two sat in silence, as more snow began to fall from the sky. She noticed how Lucas would no longer meet her eyes. She made the bold decision to get up from where she was, she walked over to Lucas. Standing behind him now, she reached her arms around his shoulders and laid her head on his.

“You’re not a bad person, Lucas,” She whispers.

“How do you know that?”

“I just know.”

She feels his hands wrap around her wrists as they rest on his chest.

“Riley?” He whispers.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

**. . .**

Soon hugging is second nature for the two. Riley finds it weird at first; but the good kind of weird. The kind where you don’t realize what you are doing until it’s over.

And by the time the New Year comes and goes, Riley finds herself waking up to the thought of broad shoulders under her arms, spends the day thinking of dirty blond hair tickling her neck, and falls asleep with piercing green eyes filling her dreams.

She thinks she might be falling in love with him. But she really doesn’t know.

They meet almost every night of the week now. And she almost speaks her feelings each time, but decides against it. What they have is so _comfortable_ , she doesn’t want to mess it up.

Riley has confessed to Maya about her meetings with Lucas. Maya finds the whole thing intriguing, like a mystery. She makes jokes that Riley found her long-lost soulmate, and they were meant to be together, or something like that.

Riley, while believing in fate, finds herself believing in Maya’s words more and more as time goes on. Because it _had_ to be fate that brought her and Lucas together that night.

So tonight, as she sits across him (this time with cups of hot cocoa she saved from the bakery), she asks him.

“Lucas, do you believe in coincidence?”

Lucas looks up from his sip of hot cocoa, and rests the mug back on the frosted table. “Coincidence? I don’t think so.” He makes a face, and Riley knows that means he’s thinking. “I think I used to believe in coincidence. You know that things just _were_ , nothing was really _meant_ to be. But I don’t think that’s the case now.”

“What changed your mind?”

Lucas shrugs as if the answer is obvious, “You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I mean, do you think it was just coincidence that I ended up finding you here that night in September?”

Riley shakes her head as her response.

“Exactly,” Lucas continues, “I don’t think I ever told you but.. That night I was wandering around. I made a silent plea that I would find something worth staying in New York for.”

Riley’s interest is peaked at his words, as she always is when he speaks, but now she’s curious as to where he’s going with this.

Lucas goes on, “And I think I did.”

Riley motioned to herself, words completely escaping her.

Lucas laughed lightly, “Yes, Riley, I mean you. Out of everything I’ve been through I’m really glad I met you.”

Riley smiles back shyly, “I’m really glad I met you, too.”

She almost goes on to tell him how she feels. Almost.

**. . .**

Soon April is here. The birds have come back from their winter vacations, the grass is green, and the streets of New York are busier than ever.

Riley spends most of her time with her friends in Topanga’s café. She still meets with Lucas every night, and she finds it rather strange that none of her friends have met him; and subsequently she hasn’t met anyone he knows either.

But she thinks it’s probably because what they have, it’s different, it’s special. It’s midnight talks under moonlit glow, it’s hot cocoa stashes under a blanket of snow, it’s a place where only they know, a place where only they go.

And if they changed it, even the slightest thing; it might all fall apart. And neither of them wants that.

The next night they meet up, Lucas doesn’t have such good news to share.

“My parents want to go back to Texas for the summer.”

“Oh,” is all Riley replies. She stirs the milkshake in front of her and takes a small sip.

Lucas’ milkshake is left untouched. “There isn’t any reasoning with my parents. So I’ll have to go.”

“Will you be coming back?” Riley is scared for the answer, but she asks anyway.

Lucas smiles bashfully, “If I have any say in it, then yes.”

Riley nods, a sad smile on her face.

“But hey,” Lucas adds, “If fate really did put us together for a reason, I’m sure I’ll be back.”

“Right,” Riley nods. They drink their milkshakes under the night sky, and give a hug goodbye.

“When are you leaving?” Riley asks as she pulls away from his strong arms.

“As soon as I finish school in a couple weeks.”

Neither of the two sleep as well that night as they’re used to.

**. . .**

By late May, Lucas is gone. With no trace of him ever being there.

Despite the texting and calling the two do in the night, sometimes in the day she feels like she imagined the whole thing. A boy who only comes in the night, and disappears during the day, it sounds like a fairytale.

Maya still teases her about him, less-so when she realizes how upset Riley is about the whole ordeal. By the time September rolls around again, all of Riley’s friends will be off to different schools; except she’ll still be here in New York City, and the only boy to ever have her heart was in Texas.

And she never even told him.

She realized it in the moments she couldn’t see him anymore. The nights she’d close Topanga’s and sit outside in her usual spot— _their_ usual spot as it had became. And she would feel the emptiness, and the loneliness, the place now brought her. It just wasn’t the same.

And she felt lovesick. The kind of lovesick you see in the movies when you watch as someone ends up running into the airport just a few seconds in time to catch the person they so desperately love before they get on the plane.

Except for Riley and Lucas, there is no plane. Just the distance of 1,700 miles between them, technology at their grasp but the physical connection missing.

She begins to miss their hugs. The ones he gave on the nights where she felt like she was falling apart, and he was the glue that held her together. And the ones where he’d tell her about his parents, and his life at home, and she’d assure him that he _matters_.

She also misses the ones that were not fueled by despair or anger. The ones where Lucas would talk fondly of his Pappy Joe back in Texas, or the times when Riley would gush about the friends he’d have to meet someday.

Most of all, she just misses _him_. And she feels a piece of her breaking off, for every day that he’s gone. And she counts her missing pieces like she counts the days of the week, or the number of glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling.

She counts and she counts; and the number just grows and grows.

And finally it’s September. Riley has said goodbye to all of her friends leaving for college, her own classes not starting for another few days.

She’s on to a new novel, as she sits at her spot under the lamppost at the bakery. She thinks of the boy with the dirty blond hair, and a heart so big the world may never see it.

She hopes he’s doing well. And as she looks up at the stars, the same stars she knows he’s looking at too, she thinks maybe the world will bring them back together.

And the world just might listen to her.

**. . .**

It’s a few days later when Lucas Friar returns to New York.

The chilly September air is much colder this year around than it was before, or maybe that’s just how he remembers it after being under the warm, Texan sun.

But when he descends the stairs, and is met with the beautiful brunette, her nose turned in her book; he knows he’s made it to exactly where he’s supposed to be.

And as he stares at her, Lucas Friar can’t help but think Riley Matthews is like a song. Because even after he was gone, without her in his life, he was still stuck humming along.

“Hi.”

Riley looks up, a smile tugging at her lips. And before she knows it she’s launched herself into his arms.

She finally pulls away, staring up so that a chorus of green meets brown, “Hi,” she says shyly, “I didn’t know you were back.”

Lucas shrugs, “I had to come home.”

And that night, under the stars (as they always are), Riley finally tells Lucas how she feels.

“Lucas..” she begins not quite sure how to get the words out.

Lucas raises a brow, leaning slightly away from Riley, who was still entangled in his arms, to get a better look at her.

She stares into his eyes, sees a reflection of the sky above in them, sees a reflection of what her life _could be_ in them. And in that moment she decides no words could ever capture her true feelings inside.

Instead, she moves slowly, rising slightly on her toes to close the distance between her and the blond. And before she even makes it all the way, his lips are already meeting hers.

The kiss is slow at first, filled with passion and adoration as it molds into something neither of the two were expecting. Riley’s never had a kiss quite so deep, in all the years she’s dated. And she knows it’s because none of them were with the beautiful blond boy before her.

And under the stars and the planets, as they always are; the match catches flame, and the world ignites.

_Fin._


	7. world of terror 3.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 7 // fix-it fic** ;
> 
> for day 7 I decided on a ‘fix-it’ fic. so here you go folks, the scene in world of terror 3 we all so desperately deserved. because even half a year later, I’m still pissed about how this went lmao
> 
> thank you to ginsharry on tumblr, for reading this over and giving me permission to rewrite the show :)))

“But the relationship that matters most is you and me, right?”

The entire class bursts into laughter, and Lucas Friar feels himself falling apart.

**. . .**

Lucas sits in Topanga’s café. It was unusual for him to be here all by himself. Yet here he sat, with the mid-afternoon glow shining through the windows, cup of black coffee set before him.

Lucas Friar never drinks coffee. I guess today is just full of surprises.

“What’s the matter, honey?” Topanga sits across from him at the table he’s at by the bookshelves. He looks up from his bitter drink and gives a small shrug.

“Just thinking I guess.”

“It looks like you might be thinking too much if you ask me.” Topanga raises a brow and hands Lucas a couple sugar packets and a creamer.

He takes the condiments and sets them beside his mug, “I don’t think there is much to think about, to be honest.”

“What do you mean?”

Lucas had always looked up to Topanga and Cory like parent-figures in his life. They were around him just as much as his own parents, and ever since he started dating Riley he felt closer to them than ever.

Which is why, here in the five o’clock glow, he finds himself opening up to the strong woman before him.

“Were you always so sure about your relationship with Mr. Matthews?”

Topanga’s eyes soften, she settles further into her seat and sets her dish cloth on the table to the side, forgotten. “Lucas, if we’re going to play that game where you project your teenage angst onto my relationship with Cory, I’ll play. But sometimes it’s better if we just cut to the chase, don’t you think? Especially since the only time you ever sit here by yourself, is when you really just want to talk something out.”

Lucas gives a small, sad smile, “Just answer the question for me?”

Topanga sighs, but she gives, “I’m as sure in my relationship with Cory, as I’m sure the sun will rise and set at the beginning and end of every day.”

“How do you find such faith in something like that? In someone else?”

Topanga shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the length of time I’ve known him, how long we’ve been together. Or maybe I was always sure of him. But there is something else you should know.”

Lucas raises a brow, “And what’s that?”

“Well, even though I’m sure the sun will rise and set each and every day, it doesn’t mean it always does it at the same time. As the seasons change, the earth tilts, and the sun changes too.”

“So? What does that have to do with anything?”

Topanga smiles, a knowing smile, “Lucas, what I’m saying is; even though I might be one-hundred percent certain in my relationship with Cory, sometimes it’s like the sun. We don’t always know when we’ll rise and set — but we know that we  _ will _ no matter what.”

Lucas nods slowly, “I guess sometimes I don’t even know if I believe in the sun.”

Topanga thinks for a moment, “Think of it this way; even though we both know we aren’t talking about the actual  _ sun _ here, let’s talk about our theoretical sun.”

Lucas gives a small smile at the mention of Topanga’s theoretical Riley.

Topanga continues, “The sun might not always be our greatest friend. Sometimes she warms us up too much, and other times she feels cold to the touch. But Lucas, I assure you, the sun always has our best intentions at heart. And sometimes, maybe we just need to talk to her.” Topanga shrugs, grabbing her dish towel again.

Lucas’ smile grows, “I guess the sun and I always have had great communication skills.”

Topanga laughs, “Yes, you do.”

Topanga gets up from her place and heads back around the counter, but before she does she turns and says one more thing, “Oh, and Lucas?”

“Yeah?”

“Add the sugar and creamer to the coffee, it’ll taste way better that way.”

Lucas laughs, “Thanks.”

**. . .**

It’s later that night Lucas finds himself standing outside of Riley’s fire escape. He can see her inside putting together a costume for Halloween. Even though the six friends had decided there would be no trick-or-treating, he knew Riley would still be finding the best costume to wear to school. Despite all the growing up she’s done in the almost-three years he’s known her, she’s still young at heart, and it’s something he’ll always love about her.

He taps on the window three times before opening it up and stepping inside. “Hey,” he says, “I think I like the white bow better than the blue.”

“Hey,” Riley replies with a small smile. She looks back over at the decision she was making for her Wizard of Oz costume, “White it is,” she smiles.

Lucas makes home on the edge of Riley’s made-bed, careful not to ruffle her costume that is laid out, meticulously neat.

Riley starts to put the pieces of her costume back on hangers to be put away in her closet. As she does so, she looks up and asks, “What’s wrong?”

Lucas always gets lost in his thoughts when watching Riley. The way her eyes are always alight with some sort of emotion, the words ‘never a dull moment’ fleetingly pass his thoughts, she’s always so  _ warm _ .

Lucas clears his throat, deciding it was best to just cut to the chase, “Can we talk?”

Riley pauses her movements, she sets the costume back down and looks up to meet his eyes, “About what?”

The blond scratches the back of his neck, a nervous habit he picked up recently, “About today, actually.”

Riley nods, “Okay, let me put my costume away, and we can talk.”

Lucas offers to help her, but she declines. Picking up the pieces all at once, with expert hands, and placing them carefully in her closet. Lucas finds it endearing, how this beautiful brunette, the one that is almost always a klutz, so graciously could handle putting away her costume in the closet. He smiles at the thought, knowing just how much she still loved Halloween, despite her reaction to trick-or-treating earlier that day.

Riley walks over and takes a seat on her bed next to Lucas, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

He can hear the trepidation in her voice. He knows how bad it sounds when someone asks ‘can we talk’. Mentally, he reminds himself to think of better wording in the future. Lucas clears his throat, buying himself a few more seconds as he gathers his thoughts, “Do you remember today in class? When I asked if you and I were the most important relationship?”

Riley’s face noticeably falls. Her mouth turns down into a frown, she gathers her hands in her lap and starts to play with her own fingers.

Lucas notices the sudden change in her demeanor, and quickly springs into action. He wraps both of his hands around hers, “Hey, hey, hey.”

Riley looks up to meet his eyes, hers are already watery, something Lucas wasn’t expecting.

And before Lucas has a chance to say anything else Riley is already on a spiel of her own, “I’m so sorry about that Lucas. I thought about it over and over in my head after it happened. I don’t know why I didn’t speak up. I guess my own insecurities got in the way. The entire class was laughing, I- I didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t expecting your question,  _ at all _ . It caught me off guard. So from the seriousness of the question, and the added pressure of the entire class laughing around me, I just laughed it off with them.”

Lucas drank in her words, every last drop. Because he had been feeling so down all day,  _ he had lost faith in his sun _ . And now, he realizes, it wasn’t the case at all. Riley did believe in them, she was just scared, nervous, the attention had caused her to make a mistake. One that he would always forgive her for.

“It’s okay, Riley.” Lucas moves one of his hands to cup her cheek, and slightly turn her face so she was looking directly into his gaze. “I’m not mad. I’m actually quite relieved.”

“You are?” Riley gives a watery smile, and Lucas wipes a stray tear with his thumb.

“Yeah,” he gives a small smile, “I thought I couldn’t believe in the sun, but now I know that was just dumb. I can always believe in her.”

“What?” Riley laughs at his words.

“Nevermind,” Lucas laughs, “Come here.”

He wraps both of his arms around her, as she moves her head so it’s laying on his chest.

“Lucas?”

“Yeah?”

“So, we’re good?”

“Always, Riles.”


	8. hurricanes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **day 8 (final day) // au** ; 
> 
> here it is (a bit late sorry!!)! the final day! au day!!! - so I decided to go with a random idea that came to me on day 7 which was “what if the real Riley, the one we know and love, somehow switched places with the WOT3!Riley?” and this is the story that came of it. (also let’s celebrate the longest fic of the week at 5.2k and the fact I wrote 20k words altogether for the entire week wahoo!)

“Have any of you heard of the butterfly effect?” Cory Matthews posed the question, and the entire class sat silent as they awaited an answer. “Farkle? Smackle?”

The two stand up alternating their explanation;

“The butterfly effect,” says Smackle.

“The theory stemming from chaos theory, that the smallest things we do or don’t do can have vast repercussions,” continues Farkle.

“That even the smallest flap of a butterfly’s wings, can cause a hurricane thousands of miles away.”

Cory interrupts the two, “So what does that mean for us?”

“If we decide to do something,” says Farkle.

“Or not to do something,” adds Smackle.

“We can be the cause of a hurricane.”

Riley thinks about her friends’ words. “But how would we know, when making a decision, which choice causes a hurricane?”

“Ah,” says Cory, “Isn’t that the million dollar question.”

Riley cocks her head at her father, “I get that people change people, and things happen for a reason, but I don’t understand how this relates to our lives.”

Farkle answers, “Because, Riley, it goes to show that every little thing we do can have consequence. You’ve said before we’re just tiny specks on this world, and Mr. Matthews taught us that gravity holds us all together; but we still have decisions and choices to make. It just reminds us that our choice _matters_.”

Cory nods and smiles, “Exactly, Farkle. Everything we do holds value. Every event in History was built on a decision. Good ones, bad ones, catastrophic ones. And it’s up to us to decide if we want to create a small wind, or become a full blown hurricane.”

**. . .**

Riley spends the night tossing and turning in her bed. She thinks of all the decisions in her life she’s made thus far. Her choice to leave the bay window open for Maya to crawl through. The choice to stay friends with Farkle through the years. The choice to ride the subway and take on the world, leading her to meet Lucas. The choice to befriend Smackle. The choice to let in Zay.

Everything is connected, and without one of these choices; she very well may have caused a hurricane. Or maybe the friends she’s made _are_ the hurricane. Because her father never specified what was good or bad; just that her decisions led to very different consequences.

When she finally falls asleep that night, she makes a silent plea to the universe to help her understand just exactly which is which.

And the universe is known to answer.

**. . .**

It’s hard to tell what one would be like, if they woke up in a place that was the same, but ironically, entirely different.

It’s one thing to wake up from a dream, and slowly snap back to reality. But what if there is no waking up? What if the dream _is_ reality?

For Riley Matthews, _disoriented_ doesn’t even begin to describe the chorus of emotions running through her head.

One moment she’s asleep in her room, the room she’s known for all fifteen years of her life. The next, she’s waking up in the same room, but it’s not the _same_ room she’s always known. No, everything’s different; she can almost feel the change. Like it’s palpable, and all she has to do is reach out and touch it.

She gets out of bed, slightly off-kilter thanks to not being fully awake, first making her way to her closet. Upon opening it there are dresses upon dresses; frilly ones, polka dot ones, purple ones, lots and lots of _purple_ , shines back at her. She looks back over at her bed, and sees an entire collection of teddy bears she seems to have accumulated over the course of one night.

Upon looking down at herself she sees she’s in a purple pajama onesie, and it’s covered in a hundred white, sparkly unicorns with bows on their heads. As she looks back up, she notices the bears covering her bed are also wearing sparkly bows and dresses.

She feels like she fell asleep one night, and the next thing she knows she’s waking up in one big, sparkly dollhouse.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, hoping to rid herself of the nightmare she is so _clearly_ having right now.

When she opens them, the beady eyes of the bears stare right back at her. Well, that didn’t work.

She tries to pinch herself awake, because that’s how one wakes up from dreams, right? So she pinches herself until she feels an ache in her arm, and still nothing.

She sits down on the bed and grabs her phone from the nightstand (her very purple and _sparkly_ phone). She clicks on contacts and is surprised to see such few names on there, mostly just family, or friends of the family—no Maya, no Lucas, no Farkle, no Smackle, and no Zay.

Riley thanks her lucky stars she has Maya’s phone number memorized by heart (pun intended), as she dials and listens to the tones.

“Hello?” she hears a voice that sounds like Maya, but not _quite_ like Maya on the other end. As if Maya Hart was void of emotion, which Riley chalks up as after-being-woken-up-for-school blues.

“Maya?” Riley tries, “Maya, I’m freaking out, I have no contacts on my phone, I have somehow gained a military-worthy collection of stuffed bears in the night, and my closet is filled with nothing but frilly dresses and bows!”

A beat of a moment passes between them, and Riley receives no answer.

“Maya?” she tries again.

“Who is this?” Maya replies, sounding entirely annoyed with the whole ordeal.

“Maya.. It’s Riley?” Riley is on the verge of tears and hyperventilation, but she tries to hold it together for the rest of the phone call.

“Oh,” Maya says with a knowing tone, “How’s my history homework coming along?”

“Maya, what?” Riley replies.

“You better have it to me by tonight after school, or else.”

Riley hears a click and the line goes dead. The brunette gives herself a moment to breathe in and out. This was a trick right? A big practical joke on Riley, one she knows will take a _lot_ of grovelling from her friends if they think she’d forgive them after this.

After taking a breather, she opens her phone again, this time dialling Lucas’ number from her memory.

“Sorry. The number you have dialled is not in service. Please try another number or-”

Riley hangs up. “Well, that’s weird,” she whispers to herself. Leaving her phone forgotten on her bed she decides to leave her room and find her parents.

“Mom?” Riley calls as she enters the kitchen. She smells eggs and bacon, and sees her mom making breakfast.

“Good morning, sweetie,” her mom says cheerfully.

“Morning,” Riley replies, “Mom, I had the strangest dream.”

Riley sits down at her usual place at the table. She notices only three plates are laid out, but she doesn’t comment on it, yet.

“And what did you dream about? Princesses and unicorns?” Her mom laughs as she begins to spoon eggs and bacon into Riley’s purple plate. Was everything Riley owned _purple_ now?

“Uh- no,” Riley begins, “I had a dream where I woke up and all of a sudden I had all these dresses in the closet, and, like, a billion teddy bears on my bed? Also, there are almost no contacts on my phone...” Riley’s voice trails off as she sees a confused look on her mom’s face.

“Are you feeling alright?” Topanga begins, as she lays the back of her hand on Riley’s forehead.

“Uh- I think so?” Riley replies with a raised brow.

“It’s just,” Topanga pauses, “You’re usually much.. Chipper in the morning. That’s all.”

“What?” Riley replies exasperated, “When am I ever ‘chipper’ in the morning?”

Just then, Cory enters the room with a cheery, “Good morning world!”

“Like that,” Topanga motions to her husband with the spatula.

Riley raises a brow at her father, “Dad, am I usually cheery in the morning?”

Cory laughs, then quickly sobers, “Oh- you were serious?”

If Riley could raise her brows any further, she would. Instead she asks the question that has been sitting on the tip of her tongue since she walked into the room, “Where’s Auggie?”

Both Topanga and Cory turn their attention to their daughter and ask at the same time, “Who?”

Maybe Riley hadn’t been dreaming after all.

“Uh- Auggie.. Nine years old, this high, shaggy brown hair? My little brother?!” Riley starts to feel the panic rise in her chest again, but is determined to keep her cool until she’s alone.

“Riley..” Cory begins, “You don’t have any siblings.”

Riley laughs, “Right, yeah sorry. Still thinking about the dream. Ha ha.” She pauses and drops her fork back beside her plate, “On second thought, I’m not really hungry. Thanks mom!”

She kisses both her parents on the cheek, and retreats back into her room.

**. . .**

By the time Riley finds the least cringe-worthy dress in her closet, she’s late for school.

She’d probably appreciate the clothing options much more if she was at least five years younger than she is now. She sighs on the subway ride to school. She has no idea what to expect when she gets there.

The last thing she remembers is having her best friend, Maya, her boyfriend, Lucas, and three other amazing friends, Farkle, Smackle, and Zay, all people she could count on.

Except this morning she rides the subway, alone, and feels confused at the world around her.

Shortly after she had excused herself from breakfast, she had tried calling her other three friends. None of the calls had terrific results. Zay’s number was out of service just like Lucas’, Smackle seemed to be surprised she got a call at all, leading Riley to believe she never received one before, and Farkle went on about the history homework they had been assigned in her father’s class (apparently Farkle and her did this a lot, considering he went on a spiel about Belgium 1831 before she even had the chance to say anything else).

She leans her head against the back of the subway seat, trying to collect her thoughts. She’s determined to make it to school in one piece, calm and collected. She also tells herself to expect the unexpected.

However, no amount of self-pep-talk could prepare Riley for what she was about to walk into.

**. . .**

Upon arrival she realizes a lot of her classmates give her odd looks as she walks through the hallway. She looks down at the simple (and yes, purple) dress she had found in the back of her closet. She shakes off the odd stares, and obvious whispers, as she heads towards her locker.

The first person she sees is Maya.

Or, well, a _version_ of Maya.

The blonde beauty is decked out in almost all black, her jacket is ripped in various places, and her face is done up with dark shades of make-up. But what catches Riley off guard the most, is the lack of emotion on her best friend’s face.

“Maya?” Riley tries.

Maya looks over at the brunette, and just glares. “What do _you_ want?”

Riley suddenly feels like she’s been flipped into a parallel universe. One she so desperately wants to escape from.

Because in the world Riley knows, Maya would never be this harsh with her.

Maya all but scoffs when Riley doesn’t give an answer (to be fair she’s a little startled at the blonde’s words), walking off into the classroom. She overhears Maya mutter something about bows as she passes.

And before Riley has a chance to fully realize what just happened; that’s when she sees Lucas Friar.

He’s leaning up against the lockers, black cowboy hat in place, to match his black get-up. He has just as much emotion on his face as Maya, which isn’t saying much.

And Riley stands stalk still. Because this can’t be happening. The Lucas Friar she knows is so full of life, so full of _compassion_. But the boy before her is void of all that.

Riley decides to step forward, her feet gravitating towards the blond. Once she gets to where he’s leaning against the lockers she’s at a loss for words.

She’s _petrified_.

Because right now she’s living in a world where she doesn’t have a brother, where Maya is seemingly not even her friend, let alone _best_ friend, and she feels like once she realizes Lucas is no longer _her_ Lucas, she’ll collapse in on herself.

Riley is reminded of a speech Farkle once told the friend group about galaxies and stars. How stars build up until they collapse in on themselves, because that’s how galaxies are made.

But Riley doesn’t feel like she’ll become a mesmerizing cosmic explosion of stars.

Riley feels like once she collapses, she’ll just be sucked into a black hole.

The bell suddenly rings, and Riley is snapped from her thoughts. She’s still standing only a few feet away from Lucas, who is now looking her up and down with mild disdain, but with a youthful curiosity that’s gone in a flash.

She thinks she might have seen him smile, right before he turns and walks into the classroom.

But she isn’t quite so sure.

**. . .**

Riley did end up finding a piece of History homework in her bag marked with Maya’s name. It was an odd thing to find, but as the brunette has come to terms with this odd reality she is currently residing in, she’s come to her own conclusion.

This world—whatever world it is—must be a paralleling universe to her own. And maybe, quite possibly, somewhere out there the Riley of _this_ world is living the life real Riley left behind.

The thought is bittersweet. Because on one hand, she believes her other world is still out there, but on the other, there is a Riley who is _not_ her, living _her_ life.

Riley sits down in Topanga’s, the space she usually shares with Lucas and all her friends. School ended roughly an hour ago, and things have been strange all day.

Farkle, was acting almost like he did back in middle school. He had ‘Farkle Time’ and this intense energy she hasn’t seen him have for years. Smackle looked like a nerd ripped straight out of a teenage high school movie. Maya and Lucas were both as Riley previously predicted; stoic and emotionless.

The brunette sighs, setting down the piece of homework on the table in front of her.

“Is this mine?” comes a strong voice from her right.

Riley looks up to meet Maya’s face not even two feet from her own. Once she sees Maya’s gaze plastered on the homework sheet, she replies, “Uh, yeah. Yeah it’s yours.”

Riley isn’t sure how to converse with this version of Maya. She’s much harder, and Riley would admit, a bit scary.

Maya snatches the homework up, “This better not be a ‘B’.”

Riley raises a brow, “What?”

“I said, duckie, _this better not be a ‘B’_.”

Riley takes a gulp, “Uh- well I’m not really sure-”

“How can you not be _sure_?”

Riley looks Maya up and down. She looks like Maya, and even sounds like Maya, but Riley is feeling a bubble of anxiety within her because this is _not_ her Maya.

“Maya, what is going on?”

Maya scoffs at her, like she did this morning in the school hallway. She crumples the sheet slightly in her tight fist and starts to move away, but before she leaves she grabs Riley by the collar of her dress and yanks her up so they are face to face, “If this is a ‘B’ or higher. You better watch your back.”

Riley takes another gulp as Maya releases her and drops her back on the couch. Maya leaves without another word.

Riley takes a few breaths. She feels like she could have dealt with the situation better if she wasn’t so _confused_ by it all. She’s not sure how to react to a Maya who is like this. And it makes her wonder _why_ she is like that, and how the Riley that is from this world would _normally_ deal with that.

Before she can think too hard another voice is talking to her.

“Are you just going to let her treat you like that?”

It’s Lucas.

Riley turns and gets a good look at her boyfriend- or well, _not_ her boyfriend? She isn’t sure where her relationship with him stands in this world.

“Lucas?” she whispers so quietly, like a silent prayer it’ll be _her_ Lucas that answers back.

Lucas stares back at her with the same, emotionless, expression, “Riley?”

She searches his eyes before standing up, squaring herself up to him.

She doesn’t know why she does it, and she isn’t sure if it’s just because it’s _Lucas_ , no matter what Lucas it really is, but she speaks her fears and awaits his answer.

“Lucas, I’m so scared.”

Lucas’ face shows concern, the first emotion Riley has seen on his face all day. “Is it because of Maya? You have to stand up for yourself, Riley.”

“No, no,” Riley takes another step forward, “It’s not that. It’s- It’s going to sound really crazy.”

Lucas raises a brow, a look of curiosity now etched on his features, “What will sound crazy?”

“I’m Riley,” the brunette begins, “But I’m not _really_ Riley.”

“Well, that’ll throw a person for a loop.”

“Wait! Let me explain!”

Lucas cracks a small smile, “Go on.”

Riley takes a deep breath before continuing, “The Riley you normally see. Is she cheery, always wearing frilly dresses and does scary-Maya’s homework?”

Lucas replies, “Yeah?”

“Well I’m not her.”

Lucas looks entirely confused so Riley says more, “This morning I woke up and I was in my room. Except, it wasn’t my room. It was all different. And I don’t have a brother, and Maya is supposed to be my best friend except she’s _not_. And Farkle and Smackle aren’t together, and Farkle is acting like he used to, not how he is now. And Zay isn’t here, and you and I..”

Riley looks up at Lucas after her spiel, her brown eyes boring into his set of green.

“What did you just say?” He says, blinking a few times. She notices that his hands are fidgeting with the pockets of his black jeans, and she knows he’s nervous.

“Which part?” She acts innocently.

“Zay.. How do you know who he is? And what about you and me?”

Riley opens her mouth only to shut it again. She decides to start with what’s easier, “Zay, he’s your best friend. He moved to New York in eighth grade, but he doesn’t seem to be here now.”

Lucas raises a brow, “He never moved here. I left him when I left Texas. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

“Why?”

Lucas shrugs, “We were best friends, but things change. I guess we just never kept in touch. And I never did get a phone when I moved here.”

“Why?”

Lucas drops his shoulders and gives a tiny shrug, “I guess I never had someone I could really talk to.”

Riley takes a sharp intake of breath. She remembers the night in the ski lodge when Lucas admitted that Riley was his favourite person to talk to. She suddenly feels like crying, not for herself, but for this broken boy before her that deserves so much more than he thinks he does.

A beat passes between them before Lucas remembers something else, “But- what did you mean about you and me?”

Riley’s mouth falls open slightly, at a loss for words. She rehearses a few in her head over and over, but there really isn’t any other way to say this. “Um, you and me, we’re uh-” she begins to blush, “We’re together. Like as in, dating, together.”

Lucas’ eyes widen slightly. He clears his throat, and changes the subject, “I believe you.”

“You what?” Riley is shocked. She wasn’t expecting him to agree with her this quickly.

Lucas explains himself, “Not that I know everything you’re saying to me is true. Or that I believe we’re supposed to be together, or anything. And I am not really sure how I’m supposed to take all of this news. But there is no way you’re the same Riley I’ve known since middle school. There is something entirely different about you. So, I believe you.”

Riley nods, it’s a fair judgement call. After a moment Riley speaks again, “Lucas?”

“Yeah, Riley?”

“What do I do?” All of a sudden tears begin to fall from her eyes. She’s so _confused_. And she’s been confused since she woke up this morning. And all she wants is her best friend back, her brother back, her boyfriend back, her _life_ back. And she isn’t sure if she’ll ever have any of it again.

Lucas stares at her for a moment with wide eyes. Riley thinks she’s probably made him uncomfortable, which is probably a fair assumption. But she’s surprised when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

“If you’re even half as optimistic as the Riley I know, then you’ll figure it out.”

Riley nods, wiping a few tears from her face. “What if I can’t?”

“You will. And if you need help, then you have me.”

Riley nods again. She stares into his green eyes and feels slightly insecure about herself, “Why would you help me though? I mean, I must sound crazy.”

Lucas shrugs, staring off into the distance for a second, “I don’t know. I guess I just have a tendency to help small animals. And right now, you seem like the little duckling that lost her way.”

“It’s the _ugly_ duckling, Lucas.”

Lucas shakes his head, “Not in this story it isn’t.”

Riley giggles at the compliment, “Maya called me ‘duckie’,” she thinks back.

Lucas laughs, “Yeah, she has a tendency for nicknames, that one.”

Riley laughs alongside him, the first real laugh she’s had all day.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Riley who is not Riley?” Lucas smiles to himself at his own nickname.

Riley feels like this Lucas might be very similar to the boy she knows back home, and she wonders if she ever _does_ leave this place, if this Lucas and the other Riley were ever meant to be. The same way she feels she is with _her_ Lucas.

“My dad was teaching about the butterfly effect in class. How small changes in our decisions can have bigger consequences later on.”

“Anything else?” Lucas tries to egg her memory.

Riley thinks and thinks, and suddenly she remembers, “Oh! I remember wondering if causing a hurricane would really be all that bad. Like, maybe the storm leads you to creating real connections with people. And I remember falling asleep asking the universe if it would give me the answer..” Riley trails off, “It sounds stupid.

“Hey,” Lucas calms her, “It’s not stupid.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“If I believe you think you’re from another universe, do you really think anything else would faze me right now?”

Riley laughs, “Good point.”

“So, let’s say the universe was to reply to you. Give you an answer to your question. If this was fate giving you your answer, what do you think it’s trying to say?”

Riley ponders Lucas’ question. It feels surreal right now, standing here and talking to Lucas. He’s so much like the Lucas she knows, except he seems more reserved. Like he doesn’t talk to many people, and seems standoffish, except once you get him to open up just a little bit, the sunshine peeks through the cracks.

“Maybe there is an underlying reason none of us are friends right now? Like, people change people?” Riley answers, “Maybe since Maya and are aren’t friends, then she never pushed me into meeting you, which means we never helped you open up, and we weren’t ever friends. And that left me never befriending Smackle, and Zay never decided to come and move here, because you never talked with him and told him great stories from your new home.”

Lucas nods along, even though Riley knows he’s just being supportive—he most definitely has no clue about anything she just said.

“So, now what?” Lucas questions.

Riley thinks for a moment. “Now, we get all sides of the story.”

**. . .**

It is fun, Riley admits to herself, playing detective with Lucas Friar. Sometimes she has to remind herself that he isn’t really _her_ Lucas. Because the next few hours they spend together feel strangely reminiscent of times they’ve had in the three years they’ve known each other.

Riley sends a text out to Maya, Farkle, and Smackle, asking them all to meet at Topanga’s where she and Lucas already are.

“Are you nervous?” Lucas asks looking down at Riley’s hands. Which are clasped together in her lap, as she plays with her fingers, never quite sitting still in her seat.

“Maybe,” Riley pauses, “But mostly just about whether or not this will work.”

“Do you think it will?”

“I hope it will,” Riley smiles, “Thanks for doing this with me. Calming me down and everything.”

“No problem,” Lucas smiles back, “Maybe you aren’t as lost as I originally thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you know exactly where you want to go, and how to get there. It’s just a matter of time before you do.”

Riley thinks for a moment, “Do you really believe that? That I’ll find my way home?”

Lucas shrugs, “Dorothy did, why can’t you?”

Riley laughs, “I didn’t realize dark and brooding Lucas would watch _The Wizard of Oz_.”

“Hey,” Lucas whines, “Just because I may be ‘dark and brooding’ it doesn’t mean I can’t have good cinematic taste.”

“Oh, Okay,” Riley mocks.

“Are you laughing at me?” Lucas shows faux anger on his face.

“Maybe,” Riley giggles as she knocks her shoulder into his.

Amidst the laughter between the two, the door opens and in walks the three companions they were waiting for.

Smackle goes to take the seat closest to Riley, except Maya stalks in as if she owns the place, stepping around Smackle and sitting down before the other brunette gets the chance.

“So what are we here for?” Maya cuts the chase before Smackle or Farkle have the chance to take their seats.

The two geniuses sit on the couch across from Maya, the one closest to Lucas.

“What do the cowboy and duck want from us?” Maya asks as she leans back into the couch, pulling one leg over the other.

Riley almost smiles at the sitting position, it’s one _her_ Maya often takes. Maybe Maya isn’t so different here after all.

“Why aren’t we friends?” Riley decides to get right to it. There is no point in walking on her toes around the issue. If she wants to get home, she needs to be headstrong about this.

“Easy,” Maya replies, “You are you and I am I.”

Riley raises a brow, “Did you not climb in through my window when we were little?”

Maya thinks for a moment, “Now that you mention it, I remember trying to get into a another girl’s window.” Maya shrugs, “But I could never get her attention, so I didn’t bother trying again.”

Riley looks over at Farkle and Smackle, then she shares a look with Lucas.

“You were right,” Lucas says with a proud smile on his face.

Riley doesn’t smile. Because even if she _is_ right what does she have to do to get back home?

Riley looks over at Farkle, “Farkle, do you know anything about the butterfly effect?”

“Why of course Riley!” Farkle says, “Farkle time?”

Riley giggles, “Sure, Farkle time.”

Farkle stands up and goes on a spiel about the butterfly effect. One reminiscent of the last class Riley had in her real world. Afterwards, Farkle sits back down.

“Would any of you believe me if I said I am not the real Riley? The one you all know?”

Maya looks up from the fingernail she was just inspecting, a ploy the _real_ Maya always does to show Riley that she doesn’t want to pay attention to what is going on, or she thinks she doesn’t need to.

Smackle is the one who answers, “What do you mean?” She sniffles, and fixes her headgear slightly.

“I mean, the Riley of this world, and the world I’m from, have somehow switched places.”

The three whip their heads and stare at Riley.

“How is that possible?” Farkle says.

 “Parallel universe theory?” Smackle looks like she’s just been given the key to the world as we know it.

Maya just laughs.

Riley turns her head between the three as they speak (and laugh), and holds her gaze first on Farkle, “The butterfly effect,” she turns to Maya, “Means that since you and I never became friends,” she then looks back at Smackle and Farkle, “We all never became friends.”

She lets the message sink in for a moment until Farkle speaks, “So what you’re saying is. You’re from a universe where you and Maya _are_ friends, and therefore we _all_ are friends?”

“Exactly.”

“Woah.”

“Woah, indeed.” Riley laughs. She looks around at all the people around her. How Smackle seems so much lonelier since she never opened up to Riley and Farkle. How Farkle hasn’t grown into the young man she knows him to be, because he was never given the opportunity with Maya and Riley pushing him to his limits. How Maya is more cold-hearted, fearing what the world will do to her, without having Riley by her side to show her there is hope.

Finally she looks over and thinks of Lucas. How least changed he is through it all. She’s always known he had a soft heart, one that would lead him to do great things with his life, and help many people (and cute little animals). But she notices how much he’s retracted into himself. How he’s scared to make connections with others, how his reputation from his last school is something he still obviously hides behind. How he never got the chance to be anyone different than the bad guy. He never got the chance to be the good guy Riley sees in him.

And she thinks, maybe hurricanes aren’t all that bad. Maybe a tiny flap of a butterfly’s wings, even one that looks peculiarly like a window opening, can cause a strong wind that knocks six souls together. Blending lives, and mixing personalities, and causing greater good to come out of it all.

After the realization, and before she has the chance to share her new knowledge, the world around her suddenly fades away.

She bolts upright, awake, back in her own room, the one she’s lived in for the last fifteen years of her life.

And she would have thought it was all a dream, if it wasn’t for the note sitting precariously on her nightstand.

_“You’ve got a good life here._

_Love,_

_Riley”_

Riley sighs, finally relaxing for the first time in probably twelve hours.

Hurricanes weren’t all that bad, not the right ones anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a good experience for me, to be able to write over 20k in such a short span of time! I am hoping to get into the swing of writing more frequently, and hoping to see lots more stories added to my page!
> 
> I am stileslydias on tumblr, and wereswolf on wattpad. Please comment if you enjoyed!! Thank you for reading <3


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